Bryce Robert Meredith (born April 29, 1995) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, former freestyle and graduated

folkstyle Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

wrestler who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. In

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

, where he competed at 141 pounds, he was a three–time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

All–American and the 2018

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

champion out of the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

Wrestling career

High school

Meredith attended Cheyenne Central High School in the state of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. He went on to become a four–time state ( WHSAA) champion with a record of 123 wins and 8 defeats. He was also a four–time NHSCA All–American and was ranked amongst the top–100 recruits in the country.

University

NC State

Meredith then committed to North Carolina State University as a class of 2014 recruit. He competed for just one season as a Wolfpack at 133 pounds ('14-'15) and compiled 15 wins and 6 losses during regular season, but was not on the starting lineup for the NCAA championships.

University of Wyoming

After just one year attending NCSU, he transferred to his home state,

. His coaches from both universities explain that Meredith was feeling homesick and it was affecting him and his performance. As a sophomore ('15-'16), he quickly made a difference from last year, going up in the rankings from #31 to #5, finishing the season with 29 wins and 5 losses and winning a bronze medal at the

. Despite his accomplishments during regular season, Meredith was an underdog at the NCAA tournament. As the fourteenth seed, he went on to defeat the second, third and sixth seeds to make it to the finals, where he faced the top–seed and eventual two–time NCAA champion Dean Heil and lost by points. This marked Meredith in the history of the program as the first finalist since 1996. As a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

('16-'17), he opened up the season with a Northern Colorado Open title and compiled a dual-meet record of 11–3. In the post-season, he made the finals of the Big 12s where he faced Dean Heil, whom he had lost to at last year's NCAA finals. He was once again defeated on points, earning runner–up honors and an automatic qualification ticket for the NCAAs. At the tournament, he was the number ten seed and as such, he defeated three opponents including the second seed before falling to the sixth seeded wrestler in the semifinals. Due to his last match's result, he was thrown to the semifinals of the consolation bracket, where he defeated

Jaydin Eierman Jaydin Selsor Eierman ('' née'' Clayton: born on May 2, 1996 in Columbia, Missouri) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes internationally at 65 kilograms and collegiately at 141 pounds. In freestyle, Eierman is the re ...

to make it to the bronze medal match, where he was pinned by the second seed, whom he had beaten before, placing fourth. Meredith had his most successful season as a senior ('17–'18). He opened up with a victory over ninth–ranked Chad Red from

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

and then went on to compete at the Cliff Keen Invitational, where he lost to two–time Cadet World Champion and fifth seed

Yianni Diakomihalis Yianni Diakomihalis (born John Michael Diakomihalis on April 11, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms and 149 pounds. In freestyle, he is the 2022 world silver medalist, a two-time US World Team ...

in the semifinals and placed third. He then dominated the rest of the regular season, claiming an RTOC title (named ''Outstanding Wrestler'') and posting a 16–0 record at duals, with notable wins over top–ranked Seth Gross, second–ranked

and two–time defending NCAA champion Dean Heil. In the post–season, he once again defeated Heil in the Big 12 finals to claim his first title of the tournament. He entered the

NCAA championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

as the top–seed and defeated three unseeded opponents until the semifinals, where he defeated Joey McKenna to reach the finale. He lost his final match against

, the only man to beat Meredith as a senior. Overall, Meredith became a two–time NCAA finalist, three–time All-American and a Big 12 champion with a record of 108 wins and 21 losses.

Freestyle

2018–2019

Meredith made his senior level debut in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in December 2018 at the prestigious Alans International, where he lost his only match. A month later (January 2019), he competed at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and claimed a bronze medal, after losing his semifinal match and defeating two other wrestlers in the consolation bracket. He then made an appearance at the US Open in April, where he went 2–2 and did not place. After his performance at the US Open, he attended the Last Chance Qualifier for the World Team Trials In an attempt to make the team, but was stopped by Dean Heil. Seven months later, he competed at the Bill Farrell International, failing to place. In his last tournament of the year, Meredith went on to compete at the US Nationals of December, where he performed outstandingly in comparison to his last appearances. He opened up by tech'ing multiple–time age–group national champion Josh Saunders and once again two–time NCAA champion Dean Heil before being stopped himself by eventual winner of the tournament

Jordan Oliver Jordan Oliver may refer to: * Jordan Oliver (amateur wrestler) (born 1990), American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler * Jordan Oliver (professional wrestler) Jordan Oliver Jr. (born June 18, 1999) is an American professional wrestler ...

. He then continued to tech his competition in the consolation bracket, once again defeating Saunders and also three–time All-American Ethan Lizak before being defeated himself by two–time Cadet World Champion and reigning NCAA champion

. He was defeated again by Olympian Frank Molinaro in a close 6–7 decision to place sixth, failing to qualify for the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials.

2020

Meredith travelled to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

to attend the Granma y Cerro Pelado International in February. He started up with a win but went on to lose his next two matches before winning the bronze–medal match. After being unable to compete due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

until October, Meredith downed recently graduated high schooler

Beau Bartlett Beau Reynald Bartlett (born February 26, 2001) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes internationally at 65 kilograms and collegiately at 141 pounds. In freestyle, he claimed a bronze medal from the 2021 Junior World Cha ...

on October 20 at the NLWC II on points in a high–pace and close match (8–6) and

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

standout Austin DeSanto on November 1 at the HWC Showdown Open, by points (11–3). On November 24 at the WRTC Underground I, Meredith was defeated in a frenetic and close match by NCAA champion Seth Gross, seven points to ten. He then competed at the Flo 8-Man Challenge: 150 lbs on December 18, where he was eliminated in the first round by World Championship runner–up (70kg) James Green.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After graduating from the

, Meredith announced his intentions of competing in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

. Meredith made his professional debut on May 21, 2021, at LFA 108, in a

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

bout against Steven Merrill, where despite facing early adversity by being dropped, he was able to pound his way into a technical knockout victory in the first round. In his sophomore performance on April 8, 2022, at LFA 128, Meredith defeated Jay Viola via technical knockout in the third round. Meredith faced Nathan Fought on September 9, 2022, at LFA 141, defeating him via rear-naked choke in the first round.

Bellator MMA

On February 14, 2023, it was announced that Meredith had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA and would make his debut on March 31, 2023, at Bellator 293 against Brandon Carrillo. He won the fight by a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Meredith faced Miguel Peimbert on October 7, 2023 at Bellator 300. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Miguel Peimbert , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 300 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Brandon Carrillo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 293 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:11 ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corporation, i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Nathan Fought , Submission (rear-naked choke) , LFA 141 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:36 ,

Vail, Colorado Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the num ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jay Viola , TKO (punches) , LFA 128 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:04 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Steven Merrill , TKO (punches) , LFA 108 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 ,

, United States ,

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 18–14 , align=left, James Green , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" , December 18, 2020 , style="font-size:88%" , Flo 8-Man Challenge: 150 lbs , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, - , Loss , 18–13 , align=left, Seth Gross , style="font-size:88%", 7–10 , style="font-size:88%", November 24, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", WRTC Underground I , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, - , Win , 18–12 , align=left, Austin DeSanto , style="font-size:88%", 11–3 , style="font-size:88%", November 1, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", HWC Showdown Open , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...

, - , Win , 17–12 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–6 , style="font-size:88%", October 20, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", NLWC II , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;",

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a home rule municipality in Centre County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a college town, dominated economically, culturally and demographically by the presence of the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Sta ...

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 16–12 , align=left, , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, February 9–17, 2020 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2020 Granma y Cerro Pelado , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Havana, Cuba , - , Loss , 15–12 , align=left, Cristian Solenzal , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–11 , - , Loss , 15–11 , align=left,

Alejandro Valdés Alejandro Enrique Valdés Tobier (born November 18, 1988) is a Cuban freestyle wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle 65 kg event at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in which he was eliminated in the repechage by Haislan Garcia of Cana ...

, style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , - , Win , 15–10 , align=left, Hernandez , style="font-size:88%", 4–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 14–10 , align=left, Frank Molinaro , style="font-size:88%", 6–7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=7, December 20–22, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=7, 2019 US Senior Nationals - US Olympic Trials Qualifier , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=7,

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, - , Loss , 14–9 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , - , Win , 14–8 , align=left, Josh Saunders , style="font-size:88%", TF 16–6 , - , Win , 13–8 , align=left, Ethan Lizak , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - , Loss , 12–8 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , - , Win , 12–7 , align=left, Dean Heil , style="font-size:88%", TF 18–8 , - , Win , 11–7 , align=left, Josh Saunders , style="font-size:88%", TF 11–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 10–7 , align=left, Evan Henderson , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, November 15–16, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2019 Bill Farrell Memorial International Open , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, - , Win , 10–6 , align=left, Dean Heil , style="font-size:88%", TF 18–7 , - , Loss , 9–6 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", TF 0–11 , - , Win , 9–5 , align=left, Earl Hall , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–3 , - , Win , 8–5 , align=left, Rob Mathers , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 7–5 , align=left, Dean Heil , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, May 5, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2019 US Last Chance World Team Trials Qualifier , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state. Originally known as "Dansbury", East Stroudsburg was renamed for geographic reasons when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and ...

, - , Win , 7–4 , align=left, Ben Whitford , style="font-size:88%", 7–6 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 6–4 , align=left, Joey McKenna , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, April 24–27, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2019 US Open National Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, - , Win , 6–3 , align=left, Montell Marion , style="font-size:88%", 9–4 , - , Loss , 5–3 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 5–2 , align=left, Josh Finesilver , style="font-size:88%", TF 10–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 4–2 , align=left, Andrew Alirez , style="font-size:88%", 7–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, January 24–26, 2019 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5, Colorado Springs, Colorado , - , Win , 3–2 , align=left, Brandon Wright , style="font-size:88%", 6–4 , - , Loss , 2–2 , align=left, Bernard Futrell , style="font-size:88%", TF 1–12 , - , Win , 2–1 , align=left, Andrew Alirez , style="font-size:88%", 8–7 , - , Win , 1–1 , align=left, Joshua Dziewa , style="font-size:88%", TF 13–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 0–1 , align=left, Imam Adzhiev , style="font-size:88%", TF 0–10 , style="font-size:88%", December 7–9, 2018 , style="font-size:88%", 2018 Alans International , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia. It is located i ...

, -

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2018 NCAA Championships at 141 lbs , - , Loss , 12–4 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 15–17, 2018 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 12–3 , align=left, Joey McKenna , style="font-size:88%", 1–0 , - , Win , 11–3 , align=left, Sa`Derian Perry , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 10–3 , align=left, Vincent Turk , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - , Win , 9–3 , align=left, Colton Schilling , style="font-size:88%", 5–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2017 NCAA Championships 4th at 141 lbs , - , Loss , 8–3 , align=left, Kevin Jack , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, March 16–18, 2017 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6,

2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships In 2017, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, a U.S. college wrestling tournament, was held in St. Louis, Missouri. The winning team was Penn State, and Kyle Snyder won the individual heavyweight competition. Team results Cha ...

, - , Win , 8–2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8-– , - , Loss , 7–2 , align=left, George DiCamillo , style="font-size:88%", 7–10 , - , Win , 7–1 , align=left, Kevin Jack , style="font-size:88%", 6–5 , - , Win , 6–1 , align=left, Johnathan Hathaway , style="font-size:88%", MD 8–0 , - , Win , 5–1 , align=left, Mike Longo , style="font-size:88%", MD 12–4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2016 NCAA Championships at 141 lbs , - , Loss , 4–1 , align=left, Dean Heil , style="font-size:88%", 2–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 17–19, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5,

2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships The 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships took place from March 17 to March 19 in New York City, New York at the Madison Square Garden. The tournament was the 86th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and featured seventy two teams acro ...

, - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Joey McKenna , style="font-size:88%", 5–3 , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Micah Jordan , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Kevin Jack , style="font-size:88%", 5–4 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Robert Mathers , style="font-size:88%", MD 16–3 , -

Stats

! Season ! Year ! School ! Rank ! Weigh Class ! Record ! Win ! Bonus , - , 2018 , Senior , rowspan=3,

, #1 (2nd) , rowspan=3, 141 , 33–2 , 94.29% , 51.43% , - , 2017 , Junior , #10 (4th) , 31–8 , 79.49% , 58.97% , - , 2016 , Sophomore , #14 (2nd) , 29–5 , 85.29% , 47.06% , - , 2015 , Freshman , North Carolina State University , #31 (DNQ) , 133 , 15–6 , 71.43% , 38-10% , - , colspan=5 bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", Career , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 108–21 , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 83.72% , bgcolor="LIGHTGREY", 50.39%

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meredith, Bryce Living people 1995 births American male sport wrestlers Sportspeople from Wyoming Wyoming Cowboys wrestlers University of Wyoming alumni American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Wyoming People from Cheyenne, Wyoming Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling